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Effects of the July 1997 Floods in the Czech Republic on Cardiac Mortality

Part of: Floods collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2014

Jana Obrová ,
Eliška Sovová ,
Kateřina Ivanová ,
Miloš Táborský  and
Svatopluk Loyka
Jana Obrová*
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I - Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Eliška Sovová
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I - Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Kateřina Ivanová
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University Olomouc, Department of Social Medicine and Health Policy, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Miloš Táborský
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine I - Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
Svatopluk Loyka
Affiliation:
Department of Forensic Medicine and Medical Law, Olomouc, Czech Republic
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Jana Obrová, Department of Internal Medicine I - Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

Objective

An excess of deaths from cardiac causes are reported after many natural disasters. Despite the fact that floods are the most common and most destructive natural disaster worldwide, little is known about their effect on human health. We analyzed the influence of the greatest floods in the Czech Republic on cardiac mortality in the affected area.

Methods

This was a retrospective case-control study. We analyzed persons whose autopsies proved they had died of cardiac causes during the month of the flood, 2 months before the flood, 1 month after the flood, and during the same period in the 3 previous years.

Results

A total of 207 of 985 autopsy reports met the criteria for inclusion in the study. There were no significant differences in the proportions of men and women (P=0.819) or in age (P=0.577). During the month of the flood, an increase in cardiac mortality was observed; however, the increase was not statistically significant (P=0.088).

Conclusions

According to our findings, the 1997 Central European flood did not significantly affect cardiac mortality. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;8:492-496)

Keywords

floodscardiac mortalityvulnerable populations
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 8 , Issue 6 , December 2014 , pp. 492 - 496
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2014 

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